Tulsa World: 5 Questions with John Fregonese

Friday, February 12th, 2010Interview by Robert Evatt, Tulsa World staff writer

John Fregonese is president of Fregonese Associates, a Portland, Ore.-based planning firm that specializes in visioning, comprehensive and small-area planning, implementation strategies and public involvement strategies. His company was hired by the city of Tulsa to develop a new comprehensive plan through the PlaniTulsa process.

In this interview, John responds to the following questions:

What are the biggest ways the city has changed since then that have made modifications to the plan necessary?

In a nutshell, what are Tulsa's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

How does Tulsa's downtown compare to those of similar-size cities? What is the best way to encourage development there?

What's the best way to encourage housing growth within Tulsa in light of competition from suburbs and their abundant space?